5 Of Halifax’s hottest brunch restaurants

Make the brunch of your dreams a reality with these recommendations

By KATHY JOLLIMORE on November 9, 2017

Photo Credit: Herald File

I happen to think brunch is the best meal of the day. It’s the perfect marriage of breakfast and lunch, where burgers join eggs benny at the table, where a morning cocktail is commonplace. This weekend celebrate the best of both worlds with these brunch all-stars. Here’s what Halifax has to offer for Brunch spots:

Which Halifax Brunch Is Best?

1. Coastal Cafe

The Coastal Café has always been at the forefront of the brunch game in the city. One of the few spots open daily for breakfast, it takes eggs and bacon to a whole new level. While virtually anything on the seasonal menu is bound to blow your mind, the Durty Bird is the Coastal’s secret weapon. A breakfast sandwich of epic proportions, I recommend getting the habanero fried chicken, two eggs, bacon ranch dressing, havarti and guacamole “in a blanket.” When served in a wrap, the dish is far less messy but every bit as delicious. With a side of half salad and half home fries, it may well be the best brunch dish in the city. Good luck ordering anything else from now on.

2. Edna

There’s a reason Edna is repeatedly voted best brunch in the city. Any dish on the ever-changing menu is a sure bet but the eggs benny are exceptional. Their hollandaise makes you rethink what you’ve been eating all these years. Add to that homemade buttermilk biscuits, perfectly poached eggs and your choice of applewood smoked bacon, gravlax or chard, and they’ve nailed the brunch classic. You can even opt to have your eggs benny served over their famous fishcakes. However, if you see the sucré salé return to the menu, order it. You can thank me later.

3. Black Sheep

If you haven’t been to Black Sheep for their epic brunch menu, you haven’t really been brunching. The menu is jam-packed with flavour, ranging from breakfast poutine to rabbit ragù. The showstopper, however, is the fried chicken sandwich. Moist chicken thigh is fried to a crisp then tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce. Then served with aioli and a refreshing pickled cabbage slaw. The accompanying fries are served with a killer black mayonnaise.

4. The Canteen

One of the few spots offering up a creative brunch in Dartmouth, The Canteen has filled a void the local community has been longing for. The brioche French toast is my go-to for that mix of sweet and salty, perfect when you just can’t make up your mind. Served with Oulton’s bacon, maple syrup, blueberry compote and crème fraîche, you’ll have a hard time not licking your plate. I only wish I could order some hash browns on the side.

The Canteen. Photo Credit: Herald File

5. EnVie

Though bacon and eggs traditionally dominate brunch menus, EnVie is challenging what you thought you knew about brunch. While the full breakfast with tofu scramble, apple sage sausage, home fries, baked beans, salad, and an English muffin may appeal more to the vegan sect, dishes like chocolate chip banana pancakes with peanut butter, maple syrup and coconut whip would make any diner ecstatic.